Type-writer carriage and bearing therefor.



No. 771,783. PATBNTED 001. 4, 1904.

E.G.LATTA.

TYPE WRITER CARRIAGE AND BEARING THEREFOR.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 30, 1903.

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No. 771,783. PATENTED 007:. 4, .1904.

B. G. LATTA. TYPE WRITER CARRIAGE AND BEARING THEREFOR.

APPLIOATION FILEDOGT. 30, 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented October 4, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EMMIT G. LATTA, OF FRIENDSHIP, NEW YORK.

TYPE-WRITER CARRIAGE-AND BEARING THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 771,783, dated October4, 1904.

Original application filed Jugus'. 4, 1903, Serial No. 168,190. Dividedand this application filed October 80, 1903. Serial No. 179,119. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMMIT Gr. LATTA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Friend ship, in the county of Allegany and State of NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements in Type-Writer Carriagesand Bearings Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of carriages for type-writingmachines and the supporting-bearings upon which the same are movabletransversely of the machine to produce the spacing of the characters inthe line, and more especially to front-strike or visiblewriting-machines of the character disclosed in my application for UnitedStates Letters Patent, Serial No. 168,190, filed August 4, 1903, ofwhich this case is a division. The improvements are, however, applicableto other forms of type-writing machines.

One object of the invention is to provide a self-adjusting ball-bearingsupport for the carriage of simple, durable, and inexpensiveconstruction.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting theplaten laterally and circumferentiall y independently of the ordinarylateral and rotary movement thereof to place any desired point on thepaper being written upon precisely at the printingpoint and to providemeans for readily attaching the platen to and detaching it from thecarriage.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure 1 is afront elevation of a type-writing machine carriage embodying theinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, showing a portion of the mainframe of the machine. Fig. 3 is vertical longitudinal section of thecarriage and a portion of the main frame. Fig. 1 is a verticallongitudinal section of the carriage and supporting-bearing therefor inline 4 4, Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end elevation, partly insection, of the carriage and its bearing. Fig. 6 is fragmentarytransverse vertical section of the carriage and bearing and showing thespringoperating drum for the carriage. Fig. 7 is a transverse section ofthe platen, on an enlarged scale, in line 7 7 Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is adetailed view, on an enlarged scale, of the intermediate platen-shaftsection. Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, of thedetachable bearing for the platenshaft. Fig. 10 is a fragmentaryelevation, on an enlarged scale, of one of the end bars of the carriage.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

The main frame of the machine upon which the carriage is mounted andonly the rear portion A of which is shown may be of any suitableconstruction.

The platen B, as usual, is supported by a carriage which is movablelaterally or crosswise of the machine. The carriage is supported andmovable on a stationary horizontal supporting rail or track G, Figs. 1and 3, which extends across the rear portion of the main frame and issecured to upright lugs g thereon by screws 9 or otherwise. The track isof angular cross-section, having a groove in the front portion of itstop side, which forms a ball-race, and a groove g in its lower frontedge or portion, forming a lower ball-race.

g g', Figs. 4:, 5, and 6, represent two sets of bearing-balls arranged,respectively, in the upper and lower ball-races. The lower race isplaned out, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, so as to retain the ballstherein, while at the same time exposing the balls at the front of thetrack. The halls are inserted in the lower race through the endsthereof. The upper ballrace is preferably open wide enough to admit theballs at any point.

9 represents a horizontal sliding bearing bar or rail for the carriage.This bearing-bar is preferably made in the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6of sheet metal, having its rear side ground to form a widerearwardly-opening groove of the shape shown. The upper portion of thebearing-bar overhangs the track and incloses and bears on the upper setof balls. The lower portion of the rear face of the bearing-bar is plainand bears against the exposed portions of the lower set of balls. Theballs of the upper set have a four-point bearing-that is, two points ofcontact with the track and two with the bearing-barwhile the balls ofthe lower set have a three-point bearing, or two points of contact withthe track and one with the bearing-bar. Two balls are preferablyemployed in each race and run between four stop-pins 7 which extendthrough the track into the two races. The pins at the ends of the trackprevent the escape of the balls from the races. Nearly the entirecarriage extends forwardly from the bearing-bar and nearly its entireweight is in front of the ball-bearings. The upper set of bearing-ballsforms, in effect, a pivot on which the carriage is hung, while the lowerset of balls form an antifriction-stop to limit the downward swing ofthe carriage, the two sets of balls forming a guide on which thecarriage moves from side to side with great freedom and exactness. Thecarriage therefore automatically adjusts itself to the wear in the partsof the supportingbearing. It is important that the upper grooves in boththe track-bar and slide-rail be of such shape that the balls come incontact with both of said grooves at points in front and in rear of thevertical center of the balls to prevent backward movement of the platenfrom the impact of the type-bars at the front side thereof when used ina front-strike typewriting machine.

The carriage proper consists of four parts or two end pieces or bars 72and front and rear transverse horizontal connecting rods or bars it 702,which are preferably round steel rods. The rear rod k passes looselythrough bearing-brackets 11 secured by screws 76 or otherwise to carsif, which project rcarwardly from the end portions of the slidingbearingbar. The carriage is adapted for use in machines in which eachtype-bar is provided with two characters, or upper and lower casecharacters, and it is shifted downwardly from its normal position tocarry the printing-point opposite to the printing position of the up percase type. To enable this swinging movement of the carriage, the reartransverse rod of the carriage is capable of turning in itssupporting-bearings.

it, Figs. 2 and 4, represents springs which are coiled around the rearrod of the carriage, each having one end hooked over the adjacentbearing-bracket and the other end inserted in one of a series of holesin a collar [L7, which surrounds the rear rod of the carriage and isadjustably held thereon by a set-screw k The openings in the adjustablecollars 72/7 for the springs enable the ends of the springs to beengaged in the proper openings to leave the securing-screws for thecollars in a favorable position to receive a screw-driver to secure thecollars when turned to properly tension the springs. These springs actto normally hold the carriage up in the position shown in full lines,but permit the carriage to be moved downwardly against the tension ofthe springs by a shifting lever or device (not shown) when it is desiredto print uppercase characters. The upward movement of the carriage bythe springs is limited by suitable stops, such as the adjustable screws[L9, Figs. 5 and 6, which are carried by brackets secured to thebearing-rail and are adapted to strike the end pieces of the carriage;and the downward movement of the carriage is limited by adjustablesteps, such as screws it which pass through threaded holes in the sidebars of the carriage and are adapted to strike the top of thebearing-bar.

The platen B is preferably constructed, as usual, of a wooden core and ahard-rubber cover and is provided at its opposite ends with fixed metalbearing-plates a 2", having inwardly-extending sleeves or bearings forcentering and supporting the platen on its central shaft. The latter(see Fig. 3) consists of three separate connected parts or sections.717"

7' and is journaled on the end bars of the carriage, as hereinafterexplained. The end section y' of the shaft is a plain steel rod threadedat its inner end and screwed into an internal thread in one end of theintermediate shaft-section which is hollow, and is provided at its otherend with an internal screwthread which receives the threaded inner endof the other end section, 7' which is tubular. The outer end of theshaft-section j, which is preferably reduced and provided witha shoulderf, has a knob j screwed on its outer end or secured thereon in anysuitable manner. f represents a similar knob screwed on the section 7'at the other end of the shaft or otherwise secured thereto. These knobsenable the platen to be turned from either end in the usual manner.

K represents an ad justing-sleeve which surrounds the reduced end of theend shaft-section j, between the shoulder thereon and the knob j. Theinner end of the adjustingsleeve K is threaded and screwed into theinternally-threaded sleeve of the bearing-plate tat the adjacent end ofthe platen, and the outer end of the adjusting-sleeve is enlarged orprovided with a head lit, by which the sleeve may be turned to screw itinto or out of the threaded hole of the bearing-plate 2'. The adjustingsleeve is held from longitudinal movement on the shaft-section j betweenthe knob 7, at the outer end thereof, and the shoulderj, but is free toturn on the shaft-section and when turned acts to move the platenlongitudinally along the shaft. The intermediate section ,7" of theshaft is hollow and passes loosely through the bearing-sleeve of thebearing-plate t" at the adjacent end of the platen and is provided atdiametrically opposite sides with helical slots or cam-faces 7r, Fig. 8.

is a slide or nut which is confined in the intermediate shaft-section 7"and is provided with oppositely-prejecting arms 76 Fig. 7 which extendout through the helical slots in said intermediate shaft-section andengage in longitudinal internal grooves 70* in the bearing-sleeve of theend plate 7 K represents a spindle which is rotatably mounted in thehollow end shaft-section j and is provided at its inner end with ascrewthreaded portion engaging in a threaded hole in the slide-nut 0 Thespindle is provided with a collar H, which bears against the inner endof the end shaft-section f and has at its outer end an enlarged head orknob 70 formed on or secured to the spindle in any suitable manner andbearing against the knob j, secured to the end shaft-section 7' Thespindle is held from longitudinal movement by its collar and enlargedhead, and the latter serves as a handle or knob for turning the spindle.By turning the spindle the slide or nut k is moved longitudinally in theintermediate shaft-section and its arms engaging in the helical slots inthe shaft-section f and the longitudinal slots in the bearing-sleeve ofthe end plate cause the platen to turn about or relative to the shaft,thus enabling the platen to be turned on the shaft to locate any desiredpoint on its surface or the paper thereon directly at theprinting-point. In practice the platen is turned by the line-space leveror the knobs at its opposite ends to the nearest regulated line-spaceand moved laterally with the carriage to the nearest letter-space. Theadjusting-sleeve and spindle at the opposite ends of the platen are thenoperated to produce the exact adjustment of the platen and papernecessary to enable the type to strike the desired point on the paper.The regular line and letter space mechanism moves the platen in theusual manner from the position in which it is left by these specialadjustments, and the effect is that after adjusting the platen by eitherof the adjusting devices the type will strike on new portions of itssurface, thus greatly increasing the life of the platen and distributingthe wear over its entire surface.

The end section of the platen-shaft and the ad justing-sleeve K at theopposite end of the platen rest in open bearing-sockets Figs. 2, 9, and10, in the end pieces of the carriage and are provided withconically-grooved flanges 70 Fig. 9, which encircle semicircular conicallips k Figs. 9 and 10, projecting in the same direction from the two endpieces of the carriage around the lower portions of the bearing-seats.The interlocking flanges and lips hold the shaft in its bearing-seats;but the shaft and platen can be readily detached from the carriage bymoving it endwise to discharge the collars and flanges. The platen isheld against endwise movement to prevent accidental detachment of theplaten by means hereinafter described.

The platen is turned to produce ordinary line-spaces or feed the paperby the following mechanism: L, Figs. 2 and 5, represents a ratchet wheelor plate which is arranged at justing devices before explained.

one end of the platen, preferably the right end, and is screwed on theend shaft-section j being clamped in place between a fixed collar on theshaft-section f and the outer end of the intermediate shaft-section Theratchet-plate is provided near its outer edge with ratchet-teeth Z andis provided with an annular flange Z, which is surrounded by anoutwardly-projecting annular flange Z on the adjacent end plate of theplaten, said flanges serving to close the space between the end plateand the ratchet-plate. The ratchet-plate is indirectly connected withthe platen through the shaft-sections and the adjusting-slide if, sothat the platen will turn with the ratchetplate, but can be turned andmoved laterally independently of the ratchet-plate by the ad- M, Figs. 1and 2, represents the regular line-space or paper-feed lever for turningthe platen. The lever is located at the right end of the carriage andhas a rearward extension passing under the platen shaft-section f andprovided with two fixed or integral arms m, which are pivoted to lugs m,projecting from the adjacent side piece of the carriage, by a screw orpin m m is a spring which surrounds the pivotpin m and is connected atits ends to the side piece of the carriage and line-space lever and actsto retain the lever in its normal position. The line-space lever isprovided at its front end with an arm which projects toward theratchet-plate and carries a pivoted pawl m*, Fig. 1, the upper free endof which is adapted to engage with the ratchet-teeth to turn the platen.The pawl 972* is provided with a depending arm or portion of, whichrests in the normal position of the lever on the adjacent portion of thefront transverse rod of the carriage and acts as a stop for the leverand also to hold the pawl out of engagement with the teeth of theratchet-plate. When the lever is operated, the first portion of itsmovement lifts the pawl off of the carriagerod and its free end fallsinto engagement with one of the teeth of the ratchet-plate, which latteris turned by the further movement of the lever. The extent of rotarymovement of the ratchet-plate and platen is determined by the usualadjustable stop, (not shown,) and the platen is held against rearwardrotation by a detent or other usual device. (Not shown.) M, Figs. 1 and2, represents a lever arranged at the opposite end of the carriage andpivoted thereto by a suitable screw or pin on. The lever M is providedwith a lug or projection m Fig. 1, which in the normal position of thelever bears against the head of the platen-adjusting sleeve K and holdsthe platen from end- Wise movement, thereby preventing the detachment ofthe platen-shaft from its bearings. When the lever M is swung to theright, the projection m is carried away from the head of theadjusting-sleeve and the platen IIO can be moved longitudinally anddetached from its bearings. N, Figs. 1 and 3, is-a bar which is arrangedlongitudinally beneath the platen and is provided with upturned ends 71which are pivoted to arms n n on the linespace levers M M, respectively.This bar connects the two levers, so that when the lever M at the leftend of the carriage is operated power is transmitted therefrom to theother lever M at the right end of the carriage, and the platen is turnedby the pawl and ratchet-plate, as above described. The two levers andtheir connecting-rod thus afford means for turning the platen fromeither end thereof.

The platen, with its auxiliary adjusting devices, is self-contained orcomplete without other connection to the carriage than the shaft bywhich it is supported and the linespace wheel by which it is actuatedfor the regular line-space work. The interchangeable hard platen formanifolding does not require the auxiliary line-space adjustment, as theseveral sheets when used protect the platen from wear, and ruled linesare not followed in that kind of work, and when such hard platen is inuse there are no parts of the auxiliary feeding devices left on thecarriage, as is the case with carriages heretofore made with auxiliaryadjusting devices.

0, Fig. 6, represents the carriage-driving drum or barrel, which isjournaled beneath the carriage-supporting track on a stud or axle P,projecting from the upright rear portion of the main frame. The drumincloses an ordinary spiral spring connected at its inner end to thesupporting-axle and at its outer end to the drum or barrel in anysuitable manner. The peripheral face of the drum is provided withgear-teethgf, which mesh with a toothed rack formed on or secured to thelower edge ofthe sliding bearing-bar of the carriage. The spring tendsto turn the drum to the left and move the carriage to the left, asusual. The driving -drum is operated to move the carriage step by stepto produce the letter-spacing by an escapement mechanism which isdescribed and claimed in my said application for patent.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a front-strike type-writing machine, thecombination of a fixed transverse trackbar having a V-shaped groove inits upper side, and a groove in its lower front side opening forwardly,a series of balls in each groove, and a carriage having a sliding railprovided with a downwardly-opening groove covering the upper series ofballs and pivotally supported by them, and resting against the frontside of the lower series of balls, the two series of balls forming theonly support for the carriage-rail and being held against transverselateral movement in their grooves by the weight of the carriage-rail andplaten,sub stantially as set forth.

2. In a front-strike type-writing machine, the combination withtheplaten and typebars which strike on the front side of the platen, ofa supporting slide-rail for the platen having an inverted-V groove inits upper part and a rearwardly-facing parallel bearing-surface belowsaid groove, a transverse track-bar having an upwardly-facing V- groovein its upper side, and a forwardlyfacing groove in its lower part, twosets of bearing-balls in said grooves in the track-bar acting to formthe sole support of the sliderail and platen and arranged as shown toresist the impact of the type-bars without displacement and to'beretained in proper adjustment by the weight of the platen, substantiallyas set forth.

3. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a laterally-movablecarriage, a fixed track-bar having an upwardly-opening widemouthedgroove in its upper side, and a forwardly-opening groove having inturnededges in its lower portion, a set of balls in each groove, and a slidingrail supporting the carriage on both sets of balls and having adownwardly-opening groove inelosing the balls in the upper groove of thetrack-bar, said inturned edges of the lower ball-groove serving toprevent the escape of the balls therefrom when said sliding rail isdetached, substantially as set forth. 4

4. In a type-writing machine,the combination of a laterally-movablecarriage, a fixed track-bar having an upwardly-opening Widemouthedgroove in its upper side, and a forwardly-opening groove in its lowerportion, a set of balls in each groove and asliding rail supporting thecarriage on both sets of balls and having a downwardly-opening grooveinclosing the balls in the upper groove of the track-bar, the lowergroove being made with integral inturned edges to retain the balls andhaving end stops to prevent the balls from running out of the ends ofthe grooves, the two sets of balls forming one support for the carriageand being adjustable for wear by the weight of the carriage,substantially as set forth.

5. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a laterally-movablecarriage, a single fixed track-bar having grooves in its upper side andlower portions, balls arranged in said grooves and having a two-pointbearing in each groove, the two points of contact in the upper groovebeing each side of its vertical center, and a sliding rail having agroove forming a two-point bearing for the upper set of balls, andhaving a one-point bearing against the lower set of balls, the two setsof balls forming the only support for the carriage and being adjustedfor wear by the weight of the carriage, substantially as set forth.

6. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a rotatable platen, ashaft therefor having grooved collars at the endsof the platen, and acarriage having open seats or bearings for the shaft with semicircularprojecting lips or flanges adapted to enter the grooved collars andretain the shaft in its seat, substantially as set forth.

7. Ina type-writing machine, the combination of a rotatable platen, ashaft having grooved collars at the ends of the platen, a carriagehaving open seats or bearings for the shaft with semicircular projectinglips or flanges adapted to interlock with the grooved collars, and amovable stop acting to hold the parts in interlocked position,substantially as set forth.

8. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a rotatable platen andsupporting-shaft for the same, a carriage having open bearingseats forthe shaft, a lever and connections for rotating the platen, and a stopon the lever acting normally to retain the shaft in its bearings, and topermit the same to be detached therefrom by turning the lever,substantially as set forth.

9. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a reciprocatingcarriage having journal-bearings for the shaft of a rotary platen, aplaten having the usual line-space mechanism, a supporting platen-shaft,and auxiliary mechanism connecting the shaft to the platen independentlyof any connection with the carriage except the bearings for the platenand acting to both rotate the platen on the shaft and move itlongitudinally thereon, substantially as set forth.

10. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a rotary platen, asupporting-shaft with which it normally rotates, and a screwthreaded rodworking in the end of the shaft and acting to turn the platen on theshaft, substantially as set forth.

11. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a rotatable platen, ashaft with which it normally rotates, and a knob having a rigidlyconnected screw threaded extension working inside of the shaft andacting to turn the platen on the shaft, substantially as set forth.

12. In a type-writing machine, the combination with a carriage, a rotaryplaten, its supporting-shaft and line-space mechanism, of auxiliarymeans for adjusting the platen both laterally and circumferentiallyrelative to the line-space mechanism, such auxiliary means beingself-contained or independent of the carriage and detachable therefromwith the platen and shaft, substantially as set forth.

13. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, asupporting-shaft for the same, a screw at one end of the shaft acting togive the platen a limited rotary movement thereon, and a screw acting onthe other end of the shaft to move the platen laterally on the shaft,substantially as set forth.

14. In a type-writing machine, the combination with a rotatable platen,and mechanism to feed the platen regular line and letter spaces, ofauxiliary screw mechanism acting independently of the regular spacemechanism to change the position of the platen with relation to both theregular line and letter space mechanism, substantially as set forth.

15. In atype-writing machine, the combination with a rotatable toothedwheel, and a platen normally moving therewith, both laterally andcircumferentially, of adjustable connections whereby the platen may berotated and moved laterally independently of the toothed wheel,substantially as set forth.

' Witness my hand this 22d day of October, 1903.

EMMIT Gr. LATTA.

Witnesses:

H. L. BLossoM, CHAS. J. RICE.

